The Verde Canyon Railroad is often referred to as the finest train ride in Arizona and is acclaimed as Arizona’s longest-running nature show.
The remote wilderness of the Verde Canyon, located west of Sedona and below Jerome, is renowned for its towering red rock pinnacles and clean, green waters. The train rolls past Indian ruins, through a 680-foot man-made tunnel, over old-fashioned trestles and under clear azure skies. This picturesque setting is further enhanced by the variety of indigenous flora and fauna and the many migrating waterfowl. Over thirty bald and golden eagles spend the winter in this riparian respite each year.
Passengers enjoy this four-hour scenic train ride in first-class style aboard renovated passenger coaches and open-air viewing cars pulled by vintage locomotives.
The Verde Canyon is often called 'Arizona’s other Grand Canyon,' with spectacular canyon scenery on a train trip that offers visual feasts including seasonal spring flowers, fall foliage and hundreds of migratory birds, such as the majestic bald eagle
Winter
Thumb your nose at Ol' Man Winter. From December to April, Eagle Watch is on in the Verde Canyon. One of the few remaining areas in Arizona where nesting bald eagles can be seen in their natural habitat, the Verde Canyon offers visitors a chance to glimpse these remarkable birds of prey. Many otherwise elusive raptors can easily be spotted from the open-air viewing cars accessible from all passenger cars. Add a little sugar to an extended Valentine's Day weekend! Indulge in a Chocolate Lovers' Festival.
Spring
Not far from Sedona, a springtime patchwork quilt of color blankets the red rock canyon floor with wildflowers and cactuses blooming from March through June. Color spills down the walls and floods the canyon floor with warm hues of color from the indigenous prickly pear, desert marigolds, larkspur, Blackfoot daisies, and Indian paintbrush. Yearly, a resident pair of American Bald Eagles have one or two eaglets that can be seen in the nest, and train passengers have the honor of viewing these magnificent creatures as they learn to survive on their own. Seeing America's symbol, alongside other endangered and endearing waterfowl and wildlife in their natural surroundings, enhances the floral masterpiece created by Mother Nature. It is a season when Verde Canyon Railroad's time-honored traditional event, “Throw Mama on the Train,” is celebrated in May, along with “Throw Papa on the Train” celebrated in June.
Summer
Escape the ordinary. The cottonwood, sycamore and mesquite trees are in full bloom as resident black hawks and great blue herons can be seen cruising the river, and late summer rain and early evening thunderstorms create waterfalls over glistening crimson cliffs. Starlight Tours and Grape Train Escape, a wine tour train operating only during the summer, take passengers through the canyon as it makes a dramatic transition from daylight to dusk on these night train rides. Passengers marvel at how the colorful chasm changes in the diminishing daylight, stars shine so brightly they seem to be within easy reach, and the nocturnal wildlife can be heard, even above the ‘clickety-clack' of the train on the tracks.
Autumn
As the mercury begins its yearly dip, the gold, bronze and copper leaves of the Verde Canyon dominate the visual landscape on the “Fall Coloriffic Tours” train ride. It is a season when the wildlife, including deer, javelina, and antelope become more active and visible, and yearly bird migration makes this an ornithologist's dream. Hundreds upon hundreds of birds, including the elusive dipper, rare western and mountain bluebirds, northern harriers, lesser night hawks, and great white egrets arrive in the Verde Canyon for the mild winter ahead. New this year are October's Sunday afternoon excursions featuring “Ales on Rails,” which includes a delectable selection of brews for Verde Canyon Railroad's version of an Oktoberfest Beer Garden.
Year-Round
Although the Verde Canyon train ride offers passengers a different trip through each season, there are a number of attractions that remain consistent on each remarkable journey.
• Spectacular geology, including a monocline fold.
• Magnificent vistas on inner canyons.
• Sinagua Indian ruins dating back to 600 A.D.
• Remnants of a bygone era of mining on which a community was built.
• A lively and unpredictable riparian habitat, a lifeline to a variety of wildlife and waterfowl.
• Unique railroad structures including S.O.B. canyon trestle and Perkinsville covered bridge.
• Passage through a 680-foot, manmade tunnel.
Please arrive at least one hour prior to departure time. Prepaid tickets can be picked up at the ticket window located inside the depot.
Children under the age of two can ride for free without a seat.
